An evangelical magazine called Relevant has published a story that asserts young, single Christians are having sex at rates about equal to their non-Christian peers.
According to CNN, the article mentions several studies about Christians and premarital sex, including one 2009 study that found 80 percent of unmarried evangelical young adults ages 18-29 had had sex, compared with 88 percent of unmarried adults. Chastity pledges that are popular in high schools are also largely ineffective, the story (and other studies) says. Most who sign the “agreement” eventually have sex before marriage anyway. (Here’s the link to the original article, but it’s extremely slow to load.)
Relevant also quoted Scot McKnight, author of The Jesus Creed, about what’s changed between biblical times and modern culture:
Sociologically speaking, the one big difference – and it’s monstrous – between the biblical teaching and our culture is the arranged marriages of very young people. If you get married when you’re 13, you don’t have 15 years of temptation.
There are strong opinions on both sides of this issue, but we assert that education about birth control, STIs, and any and all types of sexual activity is crucial for teens/young people, no matter what religion they belong to.
[CNN]
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